After a dreamy proposal in Paris and a fun bachelorette in Greece, Hansika Motwani took her big fat Indian wedding, a notch higher, with a destination wedding being planned at a royal fort in Rajasthan. While we received several glimpses of her wedding on social media with fan pages, guests, and friends posting about it on the platform, the actress hardly shared a handful of photos from her ceremony. Now that she has returned from her honeymoon and post-wedding rituals, the actress decided to share glimpses from her wedding ceremony as well as all the pre-wedding festivities including Mata Ki Chowki, Sufi Night and Sangeet.

Hansika Motwani took to social media to share the photoshoot from the Mata ki Chowki night when she looked resplendent in a red saree. While Abhinav Mishra designed her outfits not just for the Chowki but also for the starry Sufi night where the actress impressed us in her quintessential ‘Umrao Jaan’ look with a Sharara and accessorized with traditional jewellery including a passa.

 

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While her Mehendi ceremony was a simple one, the actress opted for a sangeet night where she looked elegant and beautiful in a dreamy pink lehenga with extensive work, designed by Falguni and Shane Peacock. Before the wedding rituals, the couple also had a Haldi function where they were dressed in a combination of white and yellow. As for her final wedding attire, the bridal lehenga-choli was designed by Rimple and Harpreet.

 

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Although we received glimpses of these ceremonies in the past, it was her Derby-themed photoshoot that seems to have garnered ample attention. The actress shared a series of photos from this fun shoot where we can not only see the newlyweds dressed as per the theme but also their friends and family.

 

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A post shared by Shruti & Jayant (@cupcakeproductions13)

Coming to the wedding, readers would recall that Hansika Motwani and Sohael Katuriya tied the knot at Mundota Fort and Palace in Jodhpur, which is expected to be 450 year-old heritage monument.

Also Read: Hansika Motwani shares first pics from wedding with Sohael Khaturiya; stuns in red and golden lehenga

Kaante (2002) is a highly memorable film today for its unconventional yet commercial treatment, performances, ensemble star cast, unique yellow-green colour tone, music; twist in the climax and of course, the adult content. As this celebrated film completed 20 years on December 20, director-producer Sanjay Gupta opened up exclusively to Bollywood Hungama in detail about the film and a lot more.

How did you get the idea to make Kaante?
Kaante was born out of a lot of frustration. From 1996 to 2000, I had not signed any new film. Two of my films were stuck for the longest time – Khauff (2000) and Jung (2000). We all left Jung due to the differences with the producer. I didn’t know what to do next. Then, I chanced upon this idea about six gangsters. It was going to be called Dagdi Chawl and it had nothing to do with Reservoir Dogs (1992). It was inspired by the incident on which Special 26 (2013) was based. It was based on the Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri robbery and it remains unsolved till date. My idea was – the six men who committed the robbery return to their base in Dagdi Chawl. One of them is a cop. Externally, they pulled off one of the greatest heists of all time and but internally, one small thing f**ks them up. This is how the idea was born. Nobody was willing to back me. I went to meet Sanjay Dutt. He was shooting in Filmistaan. I merely requested him to present the film. I wanted to make the film in Rs. 1 or 1.5 crore with newcomers. He heard the script and said, ‘I want to do Ajju’s role’. I told him ‘Fir toh mujhe baaki actors bhi tere stature ke lene padenge. I can’t have one star and 5 newcomers. It doesn’t balance out’. To which he said, ‘I don’t care’! I then argued, ‘I don’t have a producer’. He said, ‘We’ll produce it together’. From here on, the film just kept on growing in terms of scale and star cast.

Do you mean to say no producer was willing to back Kaante?
Yes. I had gone to every big producer and each one of them turned it down after the narration. They even told me, ‘Sanjay ji, don’t make this film’. That was the era when Shah Rukh Khan’s love stories were ruling. They reasoned, ‘Sab heroes 40 plus hai, romance nahin hai, humour nahin hai, music nahin hai. Dry picture hai’. I could not explain to them that all these aspects will become the highlight of the film. I wanted to tell them ‘You don’t need Johny Lever to do funny scenes’. How do I explain to them that my lead heroes can also do comedy?

Similarly, during Shootout At Lokhandwala (2007), I was told that ‘Poora second half toh climax hai’. To make them understand, I used to argue, ‘Did you like Die Hard (1988)?’. They’d reply, ‘Woh toh kya picture hai yaar’! I would then reply ‘By your logic, Die Hard’s climax starts at the 13th minute when the terrorists enter the building. Wahan se toh climax chalu ho gaya na? But that’s how the journey of the film was. Similarly, mere picture ki kahani aisi hai.’

How did the setting of Kaante change from Dagdi Chawl to Los Angeles?
Once Sanju came on board, we had a rewrite. The film became bigger. We thought, ‘What if we set the film abroad?’. It’ll have a better look and feel. I had this fascination of shooting with a Hollywood crew. Kaante is the first and probably the one mainstream Hindi movie which had a crew from Hollywood. Everybody in the unit was from the West. I just went from India with the six actors and one AD as we wanted someone who can show the Hindi dialogues to the actors. The post-production and music were also done abroad.

Do you mean to say that Kaante wasn’t inspired by Reservoir Dogs?
No, it wasn’t. I knew about the film. I had a copy of it. I tried watching it but I couldn’t as I found it very boring. Back in the 90s, I only enjoyed action films of Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone etc. Lekin Reservoir Dogs mein toh sab sirf baatein hi kar rahe the!

How did you get the idea of using the unique green-yellow colour tone? No other Hindi film had opted for this kind of colour ever before…
I have grown up watching films by Tony Scott. If you see his films like Top Gun (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Revenge (1990), The Last Boy Scout (1991) etc., there was always a certain tonality. Michael Bay was an offshoot of Tony Scott who also used a certain tone in The Rock (1996), Bad Boys (1995) etc. Around the same time came another nice film called Swordfish (2001). Hence, I was clear that I also wanted something similar. In those days, we didn’t have DI in India. We had to shoot it in film. While filming in LA, I visited the Panavision head office. We made that filter and tested it there. I remember the Whites called it the ‘curry filter’ because Kaante was an Indian film!

If you see Kaante, the whole film has been shot in Los Angeles and yet, there’s not a single shot of Beverly Hills. This is because I didn’t want to show the flashy areas of LA. I wanted to show Downtown LA and places like San Pedro Street. These were the locations where Swordfish, The Usual Suspects (1995), Se7en (1995) etc were shot. Se7en was my inspiration for the look as well.

As per IMDb trivia, Akshaye Khanna was offered Lucky Ali’s role…
It is true.

The trivia page also states that Sunny Deol was offered Kumar Gaurav’s role…
No, that’s not true. Let me put the record straight. All the actors played the roles that were offered to them, except for the one played by Lucky Ali. I met Akshaye Khanna and had given him three different narrations. He was not very convinced. According to him, his character Mac was the villain of the film. I reasoned that’s not the case and remarked, ‘In sab haramiyon mein yeh ek hi seedha aadmi hai’. It’s how you look at it. But since he was not convinced, we couldn’t sign him.

Then I met Lucky Ali for the music along with Sanju in the latter’s vanity van. We were talking to him when I excused myself and went out. I messaged Sanju while I was standing out, ‘What about Lucky Ali playing the cop?’. He also liked the idea. We offered the role to Lucky and he immediately accepted it. Similarly, Amit ji was also sold at the first narration. This was before ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ and Mohabbatein (2000).

Kaante marked the acting debut of Mahesh Manjrekar. How did you get the idea of signing him?
I, Sanju and Mahesh used to be together day and night. This was a time when Vaastav (1999) had not even released. Mahesh would animatedly narrate scenes from his film. I asked him one day whether he has given thought to be an actor. He said that he always wanted to be one and that he ended up becoming a director. That’s when I offered him a role in Kaante. He was immediately ready to do the part.

The IMDb trivia also mentions that Isha Koppikar and Rohit Roy, who featured in ‘Ishq Samundar’, had a lengthier role and that it was edited out…
Not at all. Isha just did the item song in the film. That’s it. I loved her in the song ‘Khallas’ in Company (2002). I asked her if she’d like to act in ‘Ishq Samundar’. She agreed. As for Rohit Roy, he was the emcee for an event held to promote Kaante. He expressed the desire to be in the film. He said, ‘For the sake of posterity, Kaante mein mera ek shot hona chahiye’! So I decided to incorporate him in the ‘Ishq Samundar’.

Since you shot in the USA in September 2011, when the 9/11 attacks took place, did you face any problems?
Yes, we did. I was on the way to shoot when the first plane hit. I was on location when the second plane hit. Mr Bachchan had gone to attend the Morocco Film Festival to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. From there, he went to Turkey. He took a flight to Los Angeles via the United Kingdom. When the explosions took place, his flight was mid-air. The flight was turned around because LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) had shut down for 4 days. It resulted in a delay in our shoot. He was held up in London, waiting for the flights to open. He took the first flight that flew from London to Los Angeles.

Kaante had so many profanities and yet, it was passed by the Censors. How did that happen?
We were clear that we could not afford a censor visual cut. The negative of Kaante was in LA. If the Censor had given cuts here, it would have been a problem because we didn’t have the footage. We were clear that censor mein picture poori ki poori pass honi chahiye. Woh humne karayi.

How?
We pulled the right strings. However, we got audio cuts. In five places, the word ‘c*****a’ had been used. That was turned into ‘bhootiya’ and other words. The first dialogue of the film was ’12 May 2000…iss din hum 6 c*****e pehli baar mile the’. We replaced the abusive word with ‘punter’. It was easy to do it as it was a voiceover and hence, we had no lip sync issues.

One of the most fascinating trivia is that Quentin Tarantino saw Kaante and he praised it…
Due to his love for cinema, he’s one of the few directors who doesn’t shoot in digital. He has brought a theatre named New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles where he plays movies on print. He has kept a print of Kaante in this theatre. Every 3 to 6 months, Kaante releases in this theatre. Just three months ago, Kaante had re-released there.

Have you ever met Quentin Tarantino?
No. I have never met or interacted with him.

Quentin Tarantino's incendiary debut paired with the Bollywood epic it inspired! RESERVOIR DOGS & KAANTE screen in 35mm this Tuesday, August 16th. Tickets: https://t.co/kLQhJupHj7 pic.twitter.com/LVsEyHSLqf

— New Beverly Cinema (@newbeverly) August 14, 2022

The articles on the internet claim that Kaante was one of the most expensive films ever made…
No. That’s a fallacy. It was costly but not ridiculously expensive.

What was the budget of Kaante?
It was Rs. 24 crores. All three partners had to put Rs. 8 crores each. Pritish Nandy invested Rs. 8 crores and even Raju Patel pitched in Rs. 8 crores. The Rs. 8 crores that I put was collected from all-India pre-sales of distribution. So, even before the film’s shooting started, I had made money!

Did Kaante emerge victorious during the awards season?
It won a lot of technical awards. I don’t recollect much as I was in the hospital. A week after the release of Kaante, I met with a terrible car accident and was admitted to Lilavati Hospital. I was there for nearly 10-11 weeks. Hence, I couldn’t enjoy the success of the film. As for awards, the only ceremony I attended was the Stardust Award. Kaante won the Award for the Hottest Film while I got the award for the Hottest Director.

A shot in the ‘Gumshuda’ song in Chalte Chalte (2003) was inspired by Kaante. Your thoughts?
I got a call from Farah Khan when they shot the scene. She told me ‘We have given an ode to you in the film’ and explained the scene. I told her, ‘Very sweet of you all’!

Kaante’s music was also a success and enhanced the pre-release hype…
Kaante was the first film which had a mix of music directors – Anand Raj Anand, Vishal-Shekhar and Lucky Ali. I was very clear that I didn’t want any one person. Anand Raj Anand later hijacked the film as 80% of the songs were his. But ‘Maut’ was by Lucky Ali while ‘Chod Na Re’ was by Vishal-Shekhar.

Kaante’s music was released on March 31, 2002. The film was released 9 months later. And 4 months after the release of the film, the songs were still playing on television. These used to be paid spots. So for one year, T-Series paid for the ads. It was the second-largest-selling album of all time after Aashiqui (1990) and its record was beaten by Aashiqui 2 (2013). For a non-love story film, it’s the largest-selling album of all time.

Some years ago, you mentioned that you’ll like to make Kaante 2. Is there any update?
The script is ready. Somehow, dil nahin kar raha hai to call it Kaante 2. Kaante is a cult and iconic film. I don’t want anybody to feel that we are trying to cash in on Kaante. And when you are cashing on, it never works. We made Shootout At Lokhandwala and the next part, Shootout At Wadala released 6 years later. And 8 years later, we began work on Shootout 3. So it’s only when you are excited or when you have got something worth it that you should make a film.

It’s the season of remakes. Ever thought of making a remake of Kaante?
Nahin yaar. Are you mad (laughs)? Where will I find another Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Mahesh Manjrekar, Suniel Shetty etc? They were the soul of the film. More than their characters, it was them that did magic. When you recall Mahesh Manjrekar, you recall him and not his character. The same goes with Sanju and others.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sanjay Gupta bats for REDUCTION of star fees in post pandemic times: “Aapko Rs. 100 crores lene hai toh lo, lekin aap Rs. 150 crores ka dhanda toh kara lo”

We all are aware that currently the song ‘Besharam Rang’ picturized on Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone from Pathaan is facing massive backlash from religious leaders and fringe groups. Many politicians too have taken objection to Deepika in a saffron-coloured bikini and SRK in a green shirt. Minister of Madhya Pradesh Narottam Mishra even threatened to not release the film if the song is not removed. Amidst all this hoopla, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who attended the Kolkata International Film Festival, spoke on the subject of civil liberties and freedom of expression, leaving us wondering if it was the star’s way of extending support to the YRF film.

A part of the recent speech given by Amitabh Bachchan at the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival was shared by ANI on its official social media handle. The video features Amitabh Bachchan saying, “The 1952 Cinematograph Act set out the structure of censorship as it stands today, upheld by the film certification board (Central Board of Film Certification). But even now, ladies and gentlemen–and I am sure my colleagues on stage will agree–questions are being raised on civil liberties and freedom of expression.” Interestingly, the festival was also attended by the superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who shares a great bond with the CM of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee.

#WATCH | "Even now, questions are being raised on civil liberties and freedom of expression": Amitabh Bachchan at the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival pic.twitter.com/ycBY5LhRP2

— ANI (@ANI) December 15, 2022

Besides Amitabh Bachchan talking about freedom of expression in speech, in the recent past, South celebrities like Prakash Raj and Divya Spandana have also extended their support towards the ‘Besharam Rang’  controversy. While Prakash Raj questioned about how Saffron-clad Swamijis rape minors, Divya has called these statements a reflection of the misogynistic society.

Coming to the film, Pathaan is an action entertainer that is a part of the ambitious spy universe of Yash Raj Films. The film brings together Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone on the big screen after nine years and features John Abraham as the antagonist. It is directed by Siddharth Anand and is slated to release on January 25 in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Also Read: Pathaan Row: Shaktimaan actor Mukesh Khanna bashes the song ‘Besharam Rang’; calls it ‘provocative’

Pathaan has been a special for Yash Raj Films for many reasons. Starting from the fact that the film marks the return of the King Khan in big screens after four years to it releasing at the time YRF will be completing 50 years and that’s probably the reason why the production house is leaving no stone unturned to amplify the immense buzz around the film. Last week, the song ‘Besharam Rang’, picturized on the leading man Shah Rukh Khan and leading lady Deepika Padukone, and it showcased the anticipation that the film has. According to a recent post of the production house on social media, the song has already crossed 100M+ views.

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, who are also one of the most popular onscreen couples, were last seen together in Farah Khan’s Happy New Year in 2014. The onscreen Jodi too is making a return on the silver screen after almost nine years and fans couldn’t be happier to see them together. Coming to the song, ‘Besharam Rang’ is set against the backdrop of picturesque beaches in Spain and it also gives us a sneak peek into the intense chemistry of the duo. While fans are gushing over the song for its romance, and Deepika’s flawless bikini avatars, they cannot wait to see what more Pathaan has in store for them.

100M+ views and we are just getting started ???????? Groove to the beats of #BesharamRang song now! https://t.co/vI9U0qxLVF

Celebrate #Pathaan with #YRF50 only at a big screen near you on 25th January, 2023. Releasing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. pic.twitter.com/DDApneiKMF

— Yash Raj Films (@yrf) December 17, 2022

Talking about the film, Pathaan is directed by Siddharth Anand and features Shah Rukh Khan in the role of an undercover spy. The film will also star Deepika Padukone in a similar character along with John Abraham playing the antagonist. Interestingly, this film will be a part of the ambitious spy-universe of Yash Raj Films which also includes the popular Tiger franchise starring Salman Khan. It is being said that the superstar too will be seen in a cameo in this action entertainer. Pathaan is releasing on January 25 in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Also Read: #AskSRK: Here’s what Shah Rukh Khan had to predict about the business of Pathaan

Fans of Shah Rukh Khan already made it special for the superstar by celebrating his birthday in November in a grand manner. Now they are eager to catch him on the silverscreen after a four year hiatus in Pathaan and their excitement has only increased with the release of the teaser as well as the first song from the film, ‘Besharam Rang’. So when the megastar planned for a #AskSRK session last evening, it didn’t come as a surprise that fans wanted to know more about this YRF action entertainer.

Last evening, Shah Rukh Khan decided to interact with his fans through the Q&A session, #AskSRK and the curious fans had many questions ranging from his films to his personal life. While there were many who expressed their excitement about the release of Pathaan, one fan had a unique request and it was to postpone the release of the film. It seems that the fan requested the superstar to push the release of the spy entertainer by a day and knowing the superstar’s witty sense of humour, his answer definitely left many in splits.

Tum shaadi 26 ko karlo ( Republic Day parade ke baad ) chutti bhi hai us din….#Pathaan https://t.co/XmoUdSYa29

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) December 17, 2022

The fan requested, “#AskSRK Sir, I am getting merried on 25th Jan. Can you please postpone Pathaan to 26th. That would be great. Thank you.” To the same, the superstar responded, “Tum shaadi 26 ko karlo ( Republic Day parade ke baad ) chutti bhi hai us din….#Pathaan”.

Talking about the film Pathaan, the action-entertainer will see the famous onscreen couple, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone return to the big screen together after nine years. The film will have John Abraham playing the role of an antagonist. Directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Yash Raj Films, the film will feature SRK as a spy and is slated to release on January 25 in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Also Read: #AskSRK: Here’s what Shah Rukh Khan had to predict about the business of Pathaan

Anees Bazmee, who has given the famine-ridden Hindi film industry a rare hit Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 in 2022, is deeply concerned about the frog-in-the-well attitude of filmmakers in Bollywood. “The audience and its tastes and preferences in cinema have changed radically in the last two years. You can’t serve them stale bakwas (nonsense) and expect them to make that trip into movie theatres just because you have lined up stars in a project. Visiting the theatre is like taking an out-of-town trip for the public. Our filmmakers have to understand that the script is the real star now. If you work on that department, everything automatically falls into place,” says Anees, who calls himself a lifetime student of cinema.

“A lot of filmmakers say they are open to learning about cinema. But they are not. They are lying. They only say this because it is fashionable to do so. I am an unabashed student of cinema. I watch a lot of films from all over the world. Believe me; they have a lot to teach us. We can’t be frogs in the well. We have to know what kind of cinema is being made in the rest of the world to grow as filmmakers,” reiterates Anees.

Speaking on the changing tastes of the audience Anees says, “Woh bhola-bhala darshak abb nahin raha. That innocent viewer, who would meekly lap up anything you served him, does not exist anymore. Today’s audience is aware of cinema all over the world, thanks to the OTT platform. With one click you can watch cinema from any part of the world. And the audience is no longer put off by subtitles. They can read and watch at the same time.”

Also Read: Anees Bazmee breaks his silence over outstanding payments and Hera Pheri 3; says, “Firoz Nadiadwala owes me money; I hope he clears my payments before Hera Pheri 3”

Bollywood Hungama recently reported that Sanjay Gupta’s upcoming films will skip a theatrical release and premiere on a digital platform directly. We exclusively spoke to the popular producer-director about this, the box office scenario at present and a lot more.

You recently announced that you’ll be releasing Fardeen Khan-Riteish Deshmukh starrer Visfot and your directorial venture, starring Harshvardhan Rane and Meezan Jafri directly on OTT. Could you tell us the reason behind it?
After the first lockdown, we all were wondering ‘Now what?’. Those six months were very tough. Then the second lockdown took place. I was clear that the cinema going experience is going to change forever. I saw it coming two years back. While that happens and while we figure out, which we are still trying to figure out, we had a bunch of stories and we developed them during the two lockdowns. Through video calls, I interacted with my different teams of writers. We created a lot of these projects and we were clear that it’ll go straight to digital. We shot those films accordingly. So, from day 1, it was decided that these will be OTT releases. But in today’s scenario, my producing partner might tell me that we might have to release the film in theatres due to contractual obligations. But that’s not happened at least till now.

Nevertheless, despite these films are for digital, they are very cinematic. A lot of the content created in India in Hindi which is released directly on the OTT platforms is not cinematic. Usme woh bade parde waali baat nahin hai. I don’t see these films and be like ‘I wish I had seen this in the theatre’. I am trying to bridge that gap in my films. When you’ll watch (Visfot or my directorial venture), you’ll remark ‘Yeh bade parde ki picture main chote parde pe dekh raha hoon’.

When will these two films be out?
It’ll be released in the first half of 2023.

A lot of films, even those starring big names, flopped at the box office recently. A section of the industry is hence asking for price correction and reduction in star fees. Do you think that it’s a fair point?
Yes, it is an extremely fair point. Paying a huge fee to the actor was not unfair as they used to guarantee certain footfalls. But if that is not happening now, it is unfair to ask for those prices. Somewhere, the correction has to take place. We are working out a mechanism where the idea should be that if you are getting the footfall, then you can take your money. But don’t take your money if you are not getting the desired footfall. So, in my opinion, the payment will have to be more performance-based. Aapko Rs. 100 crores lene hai toh lo, lekin aap Rs. 150 crores ka dhanda toh kara lo. Or else, if you want Rs. 100 crores as your fees, make sure that the film’s digital rights are sold for Rs. 80 or 90 crores. Then I am willing to bet. And most practical producers are adopting a simple approach – your COP (cost of production) should be what you earn from digital. It’s as simple as that. Because the theatrical scenario is quite unpredictable like never before and ever since cinema was born. I’d say that if the gamble pays off, actors can keep 80% of the share. No problem with that. Because you have earned it. But if the numbers are not there, then it’s unfair that the actor’s fees are coming out of the producer’s pocket.

Nowadays, it’s also said that the music is not working. Do you agree?
It’s a catch-22. Earlier, we were consuming music from the music channels. Now we are watching songs on YouTube and usually, it’s a one-time watch. Which was the last song that you went and saw for the second or third time? It might be for a rare hit song like say ‘Manike’.

But aren’t people still watching songs on TV? The BARC reports indicate that music channels have a lot of viewership…
I don’t know but what I do know is that we are not spending for playing on these channels. Also, we are not advertising as actively as we did. We are not promoting the film as we used to. And then we are saying ‘filmon mein music nahin hai’.

I guess the songs are there in the film but don’t have a shelf life. An exception is ‘Kesariya’ from Brahmastra, which became a big hit as it was a soulful number, a rarity in today’s times…
Yes, true. But the director’s last film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) had seven blockbuster songs. He’s now delivering just one blockbuster song. Shayad utni mehnat humne bhi karna bandh kar di hai. In my opinion, movies are remembered by their music. Nobody remembers actors or directors or stories as much as you remember songs.

Almost all your films have had some great songs which are fondly remembered even today…
Even my next film has some good numbers. We have worked hard on it. Visfot, however, has no songs (as per the requirement of the story). My directorial film has two young heroes and heroines and is based in Goa. It has youthful numbers. I can’t think of making a film without music. Zinda (2006) had no music but is one of my best albums. Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) had no songs, except for the title song in the end credits. But it has one of the best albums from White Feather Films. I used to always have a double disc, consisting of the club version and the lounge version. Dus Kahaniyaan had a triple disc. Besides club and lounge versions, there was one more CD comprising 10 poems, written by Gulzar and it was inspired by the ten stories. These poems were narrated by different actors from Shabana ji to Naseer saab to Sanju to Nana Patekar to Dia Mirza etc. And it had Bappa Lahiri’s music as well.

You have also announced Shootout 3. What’s the latest update and have you signed any actors?
That is a call Ekta Kapoor has to take. And no, we haven’t approached any of the actors yet. We are still finalizing the script. It was written during the first lockdown. Between then and now, a lot has changed. Ekta is also involved creatively and we are revisiting the script. As soon as the script gets updated, we’ll go ahead.

I believe in all you are coming up with 5 films, out of which you are directing 2 films…
There’s a lot that has been lined up for the next 2-3 years. White Feather Films is going to be extremely active as we are working with a string of directors and coming out with multiple films. One by one, we’ll keep releasing them. 2022 was busy as we completed 2 films. We want to keep the momentum going and hence, there’ll be a lot more happening in 2023.

Also Read: Sanjay Gupta confirms that Fardeen Khan’s comeback film Visfot, co-starring Riteish Deshmukh, will skip theatrical release and premiere directly on an OTT platform

Kareena Kapoor Khan, who recently returned home after a long shoots schedule in London, is spending quality time with her family and enjoying the little moments of being a mother. She, along with husband Saif Ali Khan, was recently seen cheering and supporting her son Taimur Ali Khan at a sports event at his school. The couple, yet again, played perfect parents as they planned a lovely birthday bash for Tim, which was Star Wars themed along with a small cameo from Angry Birds.

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan planned a perfect Star Wars themed party for their ‘Jedi Tim’. In fact, the actress who is quite active on social media shared a few photos from the fun bash. One of them was a photo of her beloved son Taimur Ali Khan, sliding down the Angry Birds themed bouncy castle, as she proudly exclaimed in the caption, “Ok a clear sign the party was a hit… My Jedi Tim…”

 

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Besides that, she also thanked the event management company for putting this Star Wars themed party together. She also shared a couple of fun moments from the bash on her Instagram story.

A few photos were also posted by the actress’ fan pages, in which it was observed that the cake for the bash was also planned according to the theme. The monochrome birthday cake featured Star Wars in its iconic font along with an edible figurine of a Storm Trooper (popular character from the American sci-fi franchise).

 

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Coming to the work front, Kareena Kapoor Khan will next be seen making her OTT debut with the Netflix film, which is an adaptation of the Japanese Novel, Devotion of Suspect X. The untitled venture is directed by Sujoy Ghosh. She also has a Hansal Mehta directorial in the pipeline, in which she is expected to essay the role of a cop.

Also Read: Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan support Taimur Ali Khan at his school event; Shahid Kapoor’s wife Mira and Karan Johar also attend it

Riteish Deshmukh will reunite with his wife Genelia D’Souza for Ved but it will be the first time where the real-life married couple will be seen together as the leads in a Marathi film. While this film is special for many reasons for the Deshmukhs, another exciting thing is the cameo by Salman Khan. We all know that Riteish shares a great bond with Khan and now superstar will be seen in a special dance number with his B-town buddy in this remake of Majili.

Sharing a glimpse of it on social media, Salman Khan featured in his quintessential ‘tapori’ style with the Bhai swagger that will definitely remind you of Radhe from Wanted. The teaser of the song, which seems to be titled ‘Ved Lavlay’, shows off Salman and Riteish Deshmukh clinging their drink glasses that are placed in their back pocket and it seems that these full-on typical Khan moves have won the hearts of Bhai fans. Posting about it on his Instagram page, Salman said, “Bhau cha birthday aahe - @riteishd Gift to Banta hai. Enjoy #vedlavlay #ved30dec @geneliad”.

 

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Fans, who came across the post, couldn’t stop gushing about the Khan swagger, as one of them commented, “Glass in pocket... it's really Salman Khan's style”. Yet another fan said, “East or West Bhai is the best.” Another user added, “Bhai ka apna style hai… sabse alag… awesome”, whereas one of the users mentioned, “The best gift we can say”. Many fans poured their excitement as they are eagerly awaiting the release of the song.

While Bhai fans would be aware that Salman Khan’s birthday is on December 27, Ved is expected to be one of the last releases of 2022, as the film hits the big screen on December 30. Starring Genelia D’Souza, Riteish Deshmukh, and Jiya Shankar, the film is a remake of the Telugu blockbuster Majili (2019), which originally featured Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya.

Also Read: Salman Khan is all smiles as he meets Satish Kaushik, Arbaaz Khan on the sets of Patna Shukla; see photos

Back in 2008 when Karan Johar’s Dostana had released, John Abraham frolicking on the beach in the briefest of briefs went viral. John was never ashamed of his physique: why would he, when he looked like a Playboy centrespread from the day he was born (well, almost). But he did want to prove that good-looking people are not just eye candy.

In a moment of anguished self-assertion he said to me, “Sometimes I do feel like a meat shop. I am proud of my physique. But I feel I'm also good with emotions. In fact, I perform the best when I'm unhappy. I function best when in angst. Women have reacted as strongly to me as men. Some have reacted to the sensuality; others to the fitness. But everyone has a query about my body. Very often I don't know how to react. Initially, it was fun to be regarded as a body beautiful. I wonder how audiences will react to my physicality in my next release Aashayein where I've lost 30 pounds.”

Nagesh Kukunoor’s Aashayein where he played a successful man who suddenly discovers he has cancer, bombed. A buttoned-up counter-invincible John Abraham was unacceptable to the audience.

Even I believed John was destined for beefcake glory only. When my dear friend Deepa Mehta decided to cast him as a dhoti-clad social reformist in Water I was aghast. I did my best to dissuade her. Deepa and I still have a good laugh over my heated protest against what I saw as a monstrous miscasting.

Recalls Deepa, “Do you remember how much you fought with me? When I told you I want to cast John and Lisa Ray you said it was the worst joke you’ve ever heard. That John had probably never even seen a Dhoti, let alone worn one. I had only one argument to offer: my mother loves John.”

As usual the maternal instinct proved right. John for the first time showed sparks of genuine craftsmanship in Deepa’s film. That performance was followed by Shoojit Sircar’s Madras Café .John was a producer on the project. He was ambitious and hell-bent to make a difference to Indian cinema.

I believe John Abraham and the late much-missed Nishikant Kamat shared a very special rapport. They did several films together of which Rocky Handsome was the best. Heroes are born out of necessity. And John Abraham is a true blue filmy hero. Fully wired for action. Happy Birthday!

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Raksha Bandhan actress Sadia Khateeb bags John Abraham-starrer The Diplomat

Not too long ago, Taapsee Pannu was quite upset with paparazzi for questioning her about her late arrival at an event. Now during the promotions of her latest release Blurr, the actress spoke about how she has faced other issues with them, especially when they don’t respect boundaries and sometimes go to the extent of invading her personal ‘breathing’ space. She also expressed that she feels that there are times when they behave in that way to irk her.

In a recent interview with India Today, Taapsee Pannu opened up on how the whole paparazzi culture bothers her. She said, “It does bother me because, after a point, I realized that they are doing it knowing they are going to irk me. Why will you hold my car’s door when I have gotten in? This is intruding my private space. Imagine if you are getting into your car and there are people who have held the car door and not letting you shut the door and shoving the camera in your face, will you like it? Any person, regardless of being a girl or boy, would you like it?”

She further described the reason behind many calling her ‘arrogant’ saying, “I walk without bodyguards. Just because of that, you have the liberty to shove your cameras and mike into me, physically, and not give me a regular human being's breathing space just because I'm a public figure. It gives you the liberty to violate my personal space. And then, obviously, the icing on the cake becomes when the media make headlines that I'm arrogant. If I'm arrogant to ask for basic human respect of space, then please call me arrogant, but I will not just try to sugar-coat and be this good girl because I'm in front of this camera. I am not that person. You get what you see."

On the film front, Taapsee Pannu was last seen in the film Blurr that premiered on Zee5 on December 9. Directed by Ajay Bahl, the film featured the actress in a double role.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Taapsee Pannu on playing visually impaired role in Blurr; says, “It’s very sad to know that people actually go through it”

Pathaan has been facing major backlash after the release of the song ‘Besharam Rang’ over the use of the colour saffron for a bikini and for the gyrating moves of Deepika Padukone in the dance number. The glamorous song, featuring the Piku actress and superstar Shah Rukh Khan, that has been shot amidst picturesque locations of Spain has been facing severe remarks and comments from politicians and religious groups where some of them have even demanded a ban on the release of the film. Now joining the bandwagon of protestors is Shaktimaan actor and television personality Mukesh Khanna who has called the song ‘vulgar’ and ‘provocative’.

Expressing his thoughts over the song ‘Besharam Rang’ from Pathaan, Mukesh Khanna told ABP News, “I think our film industry has gone haywire. This is a matter of vulgarity; it has nothing to do with any kind of religious problem. The censor board is no Supreme Court. They tell me very prominent people but can they not see all these attacks on the Hindu religion?”

He further accused the censor board of being lenient with the song adding, “The issue at hand is that of vulgarity. Our country is no Spain or Sweden or such a country that allows everything. You dared to bring people in such limited clothing, next you will bring them without the clothes! The job of the censor board is to ensure that films do not hurt anyone's personal feelings and beliefs. The censor must not pass such films that instigate or lead the youth astray. This song can mess up with the minds of the youth, not mislead. This is not a song made for the OTT, but a film. How could the censor pass it? Did they not see the deliberate provocative dressing?”

Pathaan, directed by Siddharth Anand, features Shah Rukh Khan in the titular character as a spy along with Deepika Padukone as his leading lady and John Abraham as the antagonist. The YRF film is expected to release on January 25.

Also Read: Now a Muslim board accuses Pathaan of hurting religious sentiments, MP Ulema Board threatens to stall film’s release

Shah Rukh Khan is gearing up for his first release in five years in theatres. The actor will don the role of a spy in Pathaan. But, even before the release of its full-fledged trailer, it is mired in controversies. The first song ‘Besharam Rang’ remains in headlines and has witnessed polarizing responses on the choices of clothes of Deepika Padukone. The song is picturised on the beaches of Spain where the actress is dressed in swimsuits. While netizens have called out misogynistic reactions to the choices of outfits a woman should or should not wear, certain sections are calling out for a “boycott” of the film. Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) national spokesperson Vinod Bansal demanded that the movie should be boycotted and banned.

He slammed the costumes of Deepika Padukone in ‘Besharam Rang’. Bansal took to Twitter and wrote, “Can a Pathan who believes in Islam film such scenes with a woman with Muslim symbols!! There is a limit to the absurdity of love jihadis!!"

He also shared a video and said, “Calling saffron shameless, what a bold scene to show a Hindu woman wearing a saffron dress and becoming a puppet of Islamic Jihadis? There is a limit to treason too! Hindu society will no longer be able to tolerate these brothers and tukde tukde gang who tarnish Bollywood by defaming it."

A mahant of Ayodhya's Hanuman Garhi Raju Das called for people to set fire to the theatres that screen the movie. He also said that this has insulted religious sentiments. This comes after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra raised issues against objectionable costumes in ‘Besharam Rang’ and Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam said that the film that insults Hindutva will not be tolerated.

A day ago, Shah Rukh Khan was at 28^th Kolkata International Film Festival inaugural where he addressed the hate bandwagon. The actor said, “The collective narrative of our times is shaped by social media. Contrary to the belief that social media will affect cinema negatively, I believe cinema has an even more important role to play now.”

SRK continued by saying, “Social media is often driven by a certain narrowness of view that limits human nature to its baser self. I read somewhere that negativity increases social media consumption and thereby increases its commercial value as well. Such pursuits enclose the collective narrative, making it divisive and destructive.”

He added, “We haven't been able to meet for a while, but the world is becoming normal now. We are all happy and I am the happiest. And I have no qualms in saying, that no matter what the world does, me and you, and all positive people in the world are alive.”

Pathaan is part of Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy universe and has the biggest superstars of the country Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in it. The film is set to release on January 25, 2023, in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

ALSO READ: Pathaan: Ayodhya Mahant calls for boycott of Shah Rukh Khan starrer amid ‘Besharam Rang’ row; says ‘Burn the theatres wherever the film will be screened’

Shilpa Rao has been receiving immense praise for her vocal chords in Pathaan’s popular song ‘Besharam Rang’. But the singer has given credit for the song going viral to Deepika Padukone who appears in it with Shah Rukh Khan.

Speaking about the actress’ act in the song, Shilpa said in a statement, “Deepika is a whole vibe in ‘Besharam Rang’ and the track is addictive because of her! I have sung many songs for Deepika but some have been of romance, some have been of falling in love, some have been of finding your true self, but this one is very different. This one is where she is confident in her own skin, she’s like taking on the world as brilliant as she is and she (her character in the film) is in fact embracing her good and the flaws that she has!”

Exploring the meaning behind Kumaar’s lyrics, Shilpa added, “Deepika is saying that this is what I have to offer to the whole world and I think that is what I love about the song. Many women across the world need to feel really confident in their skin, no matter where we come from. We need to embrace our goodness with the flaws and really celebrate ourselves and that is what I love about ‘Besharam Rang’ and really hope the audiences love it. Have a blast listening to it guys.”

The song has become an instant rage ever since it was released earlier this week. In fact, it has clocked 53 million views in just four days. Apart from Deepika, it features Shah Rukh Khan, who, according to the makers, plays a “gun-toting spy with a license to kill.”

Directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Yash Raj Films, Pathaan will be released in cinemas on January 25.

Also Read: Pathaan: Ayodhya Mahant calls for boycott of Shah Rukh Khan starrer amid ‘Besharam Rang’ row; says ‘Burn the theatres wherever the film will be screened’

Prime Video, India’s most-loved entertainment destination, today announced that it will co-produce a new movie for theatrical release with Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective. The currently-untitled movie features Vicky Kaushal in the lead, is directed by Anand Tiwari and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Amritpal Singh Bindra and Anand Tiwari. The film also features Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk in pivotal roles and is scheduled for a theatrical release on July 28, 2023. Following the theatrical release, the film will be available for streaming for Prime members in India and in more than 240 countries and territories.

The Vicky Kaushal-starrer is the second theatrical co-production that Prime Video is associated with Dharma Productions. The move marks Prime Video’s commitment to the growth of the content ecosystem in India, by joining forces with the best storytellers in the country.

“As the first choice of entertainment, our aim is to super-serve our delightfully diverse customers in India with local stories that they can enjoy on any screen of their choice. We are committed to the growth of the Indian film industry and our recent foray into co-productions is a perfect example of this,” said Gaurav Gandhi, vice president, Prime Video, India. “Our association with Dharma for theatrical co-productions is a perfect extension of our existing deep association that includes licensed movies, direct-to-service premieres and Indian Originals across both series and films. After announcing Yodha as our first co-production, we are now thrilled to announce Anand Tiwari’s film as the next co-production with them. I am confident that Prime Video and Dharma Productions will together continue to deliver world-class cinematic experiences to viewers within India, as well as across the globe.” he added.

Karan Johar, Dharma Productions said, “Anand Tiwari’s upcoming film is special on several counts. It is helmed by a master storyteller, features Vicky Kaushal – a National Film Award-winning actor, and is also a natural progression of our association with Prime Video. Together with Prime Video, we have delivered some of the most memorable stories to audiences around the world. From direct-to-service premieres of Shershaah and Gehraiyaan, to giving a global reach to our theatrical ventures when they released on streaming, the worldwide success of our films is a testament to the strength of our association with Prime Video. We are thrilled to be collaborating with them across the spectrum of storytelling – licensing, original series, original movies and now theatrical co-productions.”

The announcement fortifies the successful half-a-decade-long association between Prime Video and Dharma Productions.In the last two years, Prime Video launched Shershaah and Gehraiyaan, directly on the service. Taking a step further, earlier in the year, the platform also announced a slate of original series and movies with Dharmatic Entertainment.

“Dharma Productions has a history of successful storytelling and we are proud to have played an important role in taking their best stories to the world,” said Manish Menghani, director – content licensing, Prime Video, India. “This step of foraying further into theatrical co-productions will serve to strengthen our partnership and collective commitment to bringing the best content to our customers, across the world. We are excited to work with the best creative voices in the country to co-create stories that leave an everlasting impression on the viewers. Anand’s untitled next features stellar talent in front of and behind the camera. We are truly excited to embark on this new journey and see where it takes us.”

Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Dharma Productions, said, "Anand Tiwari’s upcoming film is an eclectic mix of drama, emotions and a dash of comedy which will leave the audiences gleaming. With a stellar cast like Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk, the film is the perfect summer entertainer and we can’t wait for the audiences to watch it in theatres. We are delighted to collaborate with Prime Video on two theatrical films. In Prime Video, we have found a partner that not only shares our vision of offering engaging cinematic experiences, but also provides global distribution to the best stories from the Indian entertainment ecosystem. Through these collaborations, we will further nurture our successful deep association with Prime Video.”

Leo Media Collective is also a co-producer of the upcoming Vicky Kaushal film. Co-founded by Amritpal Singh Bindra and Anand Tiwari, Leo Media Collective has become synonymous with premium quality, coming-of-age content in the entertainment space. Though he began his career working in Hollywood, Amritpal’s love for Indian content brought him back to India to create Indian content for global audiences. With vast experience in the world of films, advertising and theatre, Anand Tiwari too, has created a niche for himself in the entertainment industry.

Talking about the upcoming film, Anand Tiwari and Amritpal Singh Bindra, founders of Leo Media Collective said, “We are excited to make our theatrical debut working alongside two of the biggest champions of storytelling in India – Prime Video and Dharma. The film is a wholesome entertainer. We are certain that the audiences will love watching a story that hasn’t been told before. We are also excited to partner with Prime Video once again. Together, we have delivered two of the most differentiated stories in recent times – Maja Ma and Bandish Bandits. At the same time, we are looking forward to working with the team at Dharma Productions. The coming together of three entities that have shared values on storytelling and content, makes this film even more special.”

ALSO READ: Vicky Kaushal walks out of Aanand L Rai’s next citing date issues

For those Aashiqui ke aashiq who have been waiting to see the third part of the Franchise featuring Kartik Aaryan, would have to wait for at least one year. Producer Mukesh Bhatt explains why the project will take longer than expected. “It was always planned that way. When we announced Aashiqui 3 with the very talented Kartik Aaryan we had to make sure the screenplay and especially the music would support Kartik’s superstardom.”

Mukesh Bhatt reveals that the music of Aashiqui 3 would be its backbone. “Aashiqui and then Aashiqui 2 both had blockbuster music. In the first Aashiqui in 1990 Nadeem (of Nadeem Shravan fame) gave me one chartbuster after another. Every song was a super hit, and all original. He went on to do chartbuster music in my films time after time. In Aashiqui 2 again the music by Mithoon, Jeet Ganguly, Ankit Tiwari and Raju Singh was the backbone.”

Would Aashiqui 3 have multiple composers?

Says Mukesh Bhatt, “It would depend on the on the output. If one composer can give me all the tunes I want, then why not? However if several composers come up with the quality of music I want, then they are all welcome.”

Mukesh wants to work meticulously on the music of Aashiqui 3. “The songs have to be on a par with the first two parts of the franchise. There cannot be any compromise on the music. It has to be as good, if not better than part 1 and 2. And it has to be entirely original. I don’t want any cut-and-paste rehashes of old songs. I don’t want the music of Aashiqui 3 to sound hungover with nostalgia.”

Also Read: Kartik Aaryan to get new leading lady in Aashiqui 3